Wireless communication in vehicles

ABSTRACT

In a device for communication on a communication path between control elements ( 18, 20, 22, 24 ) which are actuated by a driver of a vehicle and emit control signals and devices ( 4, 8 ) of the vehicle which receive control signals and convert the control signals into reactions in or on the devices, the control signals are transmitted from the control elements ( 18, 20, 22, 24 ) and to the devices ( 4, 8 ) in wireless manner at least on sections of the communication path.

According to the preamble of claim 1 the invention relates to a deviceand method for wireless communication of devices in a vehicle.

The mechanical, hydraulic or pneumatic transmissions of the driver'sactivities, which trigger certain responses, have been and will bereplaced for many functions in the vehicle by electric lines combinedwith electronically controlled units which are located somewhere in thevehicle “on-site” and carry out the responses. In the technical world,this development is described under the expression “x by wire”. Asexample for this, let it be mentioned that the E-gas function or theelectronic Diesel injection designated as “drive by wire”, thesubstitution of mechanical linkages between a switch lever and thevehicle transmission designated as “shift by wire” or the possibility ofelectronically controlling decelerating devices of the vehicle for whichthe designation “brake by wire” has prevailed. Mutual communicationsbetween separate devices in the vehicle or, for example, with a centralvehicle master, are chiefly effected via a bus line, the CAN bus havingalready found wide circulation.

Together with the potentialities of functional improvement by uncouplingof the driver's actions and the response of the corresponding device inthe vehicle, one other important reason for the development is the spacesaving, the higher freedom of shapes in the design of the devices andthe location thereof and possible improvements of the ergonomics.Electric cables are by nature smaller, lighter, more flexible and, atpresent, also mostly cheaper than corresponding mechanical, hydraulic orpneumatic transmission devices. However, for these electric lines,cables and plugs are needed which demand space and also certainrequirements as to relocation and protection from environmentalinfluences.

DE 43 34 595 C1 has disclosed a control for a motor vehicle which viaCAN bus transmits the driver's actions to a transmission control and amotor control. The communication between the driver's actions and theresponses of the devices in the vehicle such as transmission or motortakes place here by cable.

The problem on which the invention is based is to show, for thecommunication between the input of driver's actions and the response ofvehicle devices, a possibility of communication which overcomes thedisadvantages of the prior art.

The problem is solved by a device having the features of claim 1.Developments are object of sub-claims.

For many transmission lines in any case when signals and not outputs areto be transmitted, an optimal solution is represented by wirelesscommunication of information between a transmitter device, operated bythe driver and an electronic control unit which controls the desiredaction. For this purpose is proposed a device for communication on acommunication path between control elements which are actuated by adriver of a vehicle and emit control signals and devices of the vehiclewhich receive control signals and convert the control signals toresponses in or on the drives, the transmission of the control signalsfrom the control elements and to the device taking place in wirelessmanner at least in sections of the communication path.

In an advantageous development, conversion devices are provided in thecontrol elements which, according to a transmission log book, controlsignals formed from the actions of the driver into control signalstransmissible in a wireless manner. In controlled devices of the vehicleconversion devices are, in turn, provided which are suitable forconverting according to the transmission log book control signalsreceived which have been transmitted in wireless manner to signals towhich the devices respond. Another development provides a directwireless transmission of the control signals between the controlelements and the responding devices on the whole communication path. Inone other embodiment, there is provided, upon a first section of thecommunication path, a wireless transmission of the control signalsbetween the control elements and one interpolated electronic controldevice adequate for further processing the control signals according toprescribed computation rules and relaying control signals on a secondsection of the communication path to responding devices of the vehicle.In one development, the second section of the communication path isdesigned as wireless transmission path, in another development thesecond section of the communication path is designed as cable path andin still another development the second section of the communicationpath is designed as bus system, particularly as CAN bus system.Advantageous embodiments of the invention show the controlled andresponding device of the vehicle as one transmission control, in onespecial development as transmission control of an automatic or automatedtransmission. Finally in one development, the interpolated controldevice is designed as central vehicle computer.

The invention is explained in detail with reference to a drawing.

FIG. 1 shows one motor 2 controlled by one motor control 4. Onetransmission 6 is controlled by a transmission control 8. With 10 isdesignated a central vehicle computer. By signal lines 12, 14, 16, oneselector lever 18, one kick-down switch 20 and one drive programselector switch 22 are attached to one control device 24. By saidoperating elements the driver inputs in a manner known per se hiscommands and wishes such as the drive steps P, R, N, S, 1 and 2, via theselector lever 18, the need of stronger acceleration via the kick-downswitch 20 and the selection between an economy and a sport drivingprogram via the drive program selector switch 22. To the motor control4, the transmission control 8, the central vehicle computer 10 and thecontrol device 24 are respectively attached antennae 26, 28, 30 and 32.According to a common transmission log book, signals are generated inthe control device 24 which are either transmitted directly to the motorcontrol 4 and the transmission control 8 or are conveyed via the centralvehicle computer 10 where the control signals can be again worked up forwhich purpose they have been electronically processed according tospecific computation rules. The motor control 4 can also be connectedvia a cable line 34 (here shown in dotted lines) with the centralvehicle computer 10 whereby the whole transmission path of thecommunication between the control device 24 and the motor control 4 issplit in two parts, one first part in which the communication is inwireless manner and, one second part in which the communication takesplace via the cable line 34 or a CAN bus.

For example, now if the driver actuates the kick-down switch 20, thereresults a worked up signal relay to the transmission control 8 whichoptionally produces a change of the reduction ratio.

Reference Numerals

-   -   2 motor    -   4 motor control    -   6 transmission    -   8 transmission control    -   10 vehicle computer    -   12 signal line    -   14 signal line    -   16 signal line    -   18 selector lever    -   20 kick-down switch    -   22 drive program selector switch    -   24 control device    -   26 antenna    -   28 antenna    -   30 antenna    -   32 antenna    -   34 cable line

1-10. (canceled)
 11. A device for communication along a communicationpath between control elements (18, 20, 22, 24) which are actuated by adriver of a vehicle and emit control signals and devices (4, 8) of thevehicle which the receive control signals and convert the controlsignals to responses in or on the devices, wherein the control signalsare transmitted in a wireless manner from the control elements (18, 20,22, 24) to the devices (4, 8) at least along a portion of thecommunication path, and the controlled device of the vehicle is thetransmission control (8) of an automatic or automated transmission (6).12. The device according to claim 11, wherein on the entirecommunication path, between the control elements (18, 20, 22, 24) and atransmission control (4, 8), is a direct wireless transmission path. 13.The device according to claim 11, wherein the communication pathcomprises a first portion and a second portion, and the first portion ofthe communication path is a wireless transmission between the controlelements (18, 20, 22, 24) and an interpolated electronic control device(10) which controls further processing of the control signals accordingto prescribed computation rules and, during the second portion of thecommunication path, relays the control signals to at least thetransmission control (4, 8).
 14. The device according to claim 13,wherein the second portion of the communication path is a wirelesstransmission path.
 15. The device according to claim 13, wherein thesecond portion of the communication path is a cable path (34).
 16. Thedevice according to claim 13, wherein the second portion of thecommunication path is a bus system.
 17. The device according to claim13, wherein the interpolated control device is a central vehiclecomputer (10).
 18. The device according to claim 13, wherein the secondportion of the communication path is a CAN bus system.
 19. Acommunication device for communicating on a communication path, thecommunication device comprising; a plurality of vehicle control elements(18, 20, 22, 24) which are actuated by a driver of a vehicle and emitcontrol signals for controlling operation of the vehicle; a plurality ofdevices (4, 8) of the vehicle, which receive the control signals fromthe plurality of control elements (18, 20, 22, 24) and convert thecontrol signals to control operation of the vehicle, the control signalsbeing transmitted in a wireless manner from the at least one ofplurality of control elements (18, 20, 22, 24) to at least one of theplurality of devices (4, 8) along the communication path, and at leastone of the plurality of devices (4, 8) is a motor control (4) and atleast one of the plurality of devices (4, 8) is a transmission control(8) of one of an automatic or automated transmission (6).
 20. The deviceaccording to claim 19, wherein on the entire communication path, betweenthe control elements (18, 20, 22, 24) and a transmission control (4, 8),is a direct wireless transmission path.
 21. The device according toclaim 19, wherein the communication path comprises a first portion and asecond portion, and the first portion of the communication path is awireless transmission between the control elements (18, 20, 22, 24) andan interpolated electronic control device (10) which controls furtherprocessing of the control signals according to prescribed computationrules and, during the second portion of the communication path, relaysthe control signals to at least the transmission control (4, 8).
 22. Thedevice according to claim 21, wherein the second portion of thecommunication path is a wireless transmission path.
 23. The deviceaccording to claim 21, wherein the second portion of the communicationpath is a cable path (34).
 24. The device according to claim 21, whereinthe second portion of the communication path is a bus system.
 25. Thedevice according to claim 21, wherein the interpolated control device isa central vehicle computer (10).
 26. The device according to claim 21,wherein the second portion of the communication path is a CAN bussystem.